1. Field of Art
The field of art to which the invention pertains is electrical current producing apparatus and process including generation of the reactant.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hydrazine based fuel sources have been well known in the prior art as a source of energy. However, this source has generally been limited to the use of such energy to provide gas thrust in a mono-propellant rocket thruster environment. In this regard, note U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,588 which teaches the use of hydrazine decomposed on a catalyst for use in a mono-propellant rocket thruster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,476 which teaches a porous material containing a catalyst which can be used in mono-propellant rocket reactors; and United Aircraft Laboratory Report AFRPL-TR-72-26 which teaches the electrolytic decomposition of hydrazine-hydrazine azide mono-propellants for use in an electrolytic ignition system for a millipound thruster. Other uses of hydrazine based fuels in connection with electrical current producing apparatus are U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,015 which teaches the use of a hydrazine based fuel to generate electrical energy in a fuel cell, and United Technologies Report R-76-911319 which teaches the electrochemical properties of hydrazine-hydrazine azide solutions. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,137 describes apparatus useful with hydrazine-hydrazine azide mono-propellants in an electrolytic ignition system for a millipound thruster.
However, as evidenced by the above, there has been little if any recognition of the potential of ionically conductive fuels such as hydrazine based fuel sources in electrical current generation. Some of the reasons for the lack of appreciation of this potentially great electrical energy generation source may be the fact that at ambient temperatures potential differences produced from these fuels have been but a few tenths of a volt. Also, control of the dissociation rate of ionically conductive fuels such as hydrazine-based fuels at high temperatures could present a problem.